Okay, let's see how Gwen's getting on. Thanks for reviewing, KIABB88 (and I'm sorry, but my Heathers counterparts were planned out way early and as you'll see, the two you slated got different counterparts) and Gucci Mane LaFlare.
Morning classes were no different than they were in junior year. Gwen wasn't an outstanding student or anything, but she concentrated in her classes most of the time and mostly got As and Bs. She just wanted to make sure she could go to a good college, preferably in Europe or the United States. She couldn't wait to get out of Canada.
The most interesting part of the day only happened near the end of lunch. Gwen was in the bathroom when she heard the door open and several sets of footsteps. Heeled footsteps, nothing like her soft sneakers. Only the popular, or at least second-tier popular, wore heels.
A second later, she heard retching sounds. Ugh. She didn't know who it was, but then, the next sound she heard solved it.
"For serious, Courtney, you need to grow up. Bulimia is so Noughties." She recognized that voice. It wasn't just second-tier popularity. The girls that had walked in were the most untouchable group in the whole school.
The girl talking was Heather, the prettiest girl in senior year. And the meanest. No one crossed Heather, and everyone wanted to be her. Or if not to be her, be her friend or on top of her. Even Gwen sometimes wished she was in good with her. She didn't actually like Heather, but it didn't matter. No one would pick on a girl Heather let into her social circle. And it was hard not to admire her confidence, walking down the halls in her red outfit, complete with a scarlet scrunchie pulling back her long dark hair. Especially with her two friends trailing behind her, all of them wearing blazers, miniskirts, knee socks and little heels, each girl with one signature colour. She really did seem like a queen, with two princesses with almost as much power and thousands of subjects.
The next voice wasn't a shock after the first one. "Didn't you see anyone for help, Courtney?" chirped a concerned voice. "I hate seeing you so sick." Lindsay, the head cheerleader. Apart from the cheer squad, Lindsay never did anything on her own. She was one hundred percent loyal to Heather and stuck by her like a little lapdog, but Gwen couldn't remember her ever saying a mean thing without Heather or Courtney prompting her. She actually sounded like she cared about Courtney's health just then, which Heather clearly didn't. Still, when she was prompted, she could be awful. Luckily, she wasn't too intelligent, so she didn't usually think up her own schemes. She wore yellow, which most girls with her skin tone couldn't get away with, but it worked on her.
"Heather, I need a mint," a third voice said weakly. Courtney, definitely. She ran the yearbook committee and Gwen knew for a fact that she got straight As in all her classes. She hadn't known Courtney was bulimic, though. She was the heaviest of the three girls, yes, but she was still slim, just curvy, while Heather was willowy, and Lindsay had a flat stomach, despite her G-cup boobs, which it was rumoured were real. Courtney just had a little more weight, but it didn't make her fat – she just was a bit more of a normal weight, and still on the skinny side. She wore green, which suited her beautifully.
As another bout of vomiting hit Courtney, the bell rang. Gwen didn't care if she was late – but she wasn't letting the Stepford Pretties catch her alone. They came from two different worlds. So she started scribbling out a fake hall pass with her name on it on a page of her sketchbook, just so she could get an excuse to come into class late. She didn't use this talent much, but she was pretty good at forging signatures. Her talent for art translated pretty well to copying handwriting, too.
And it was lucky she did. The door opened again and she heard a voice. "Ah, Heather and Lindsay. And Courtney. Perhaps you missed the bell? You three are late."
It was Ms O'Halloran, a weird teacher who seemed to have an insatiable hunger for attention towards all her students.
"Courtney wasn't feeling well," Heather said as an excuse. "We're helping her."
"Where's your hall pass?" Ms O'Halloran replied. "If you can't produce one, I'll have to give you all detention."
As the girls started to argue, Gwen had a brainwave. She wouldn't usually help these three out, but it could do wonders for her social status and make her last year of school much easier. She carefully wrote down three more names, and then came out of the cubicle. "Um, actually, Ms O'Halloran, we are out on a hall pass – yearbook committee." She handed her the hastily written forgery.
The teacher bought it. "I see. Yes, you're all listed. Well, hurry up, all of you." She handed it back to Gwen and left the room, just as Courtney finally finished bringing up her lunch.
At that second, Heather took a few steps towards Gwen and held out her hand for the fake pass, very presumptuously. Gwen didn't like her attitude, but she wasn't in any position to refuse. She handed it over without a word.
"If I didn't know this was a forgery," Heather remarked, a slightly impressed tone in her voice. "I'd believe it was real. Who are you?"
Gwen suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. They'd been at the same school for twelve years. But she gave Heather her full name obediently, adding "Now that I've done you a favour, I was…kind of…wondering if you wouldn't mind doing something for me in return."
"What?" Heather asked. Her grey eyes were suspicious.
"Um, let me sit at your table at lunch, just once," Gwen suggested. "You don't even have to talk to me. If people think you tolerate me, then they'll leave me alone." And maybe people would listen to her and she could even protect Emma, she added silently. She didn't necessarily even want to talk to these girls, but getting in good with them could protect her all year. She'd never have to see them again once she got into a good college or art school, but less harassment in senior year could only be a good thing.
The three girls tittered, so Gwen went on "Before you answer, I can do other forgeries. Almost anything you want. Permission slips, absence notes, report cards…"
"Do you do prescriptions?" Courtney asked. She was still pale underneath her makeup, but despite the bulimia, she still looked unblemished. Her hair, face and clothes were pristine.
"Shut up, Courtney!" Heather suddenly barked.
Gwen saw Courtney's eyes flash with anger, but her tone was meek. "Sorry, Heather."
Heather surveyed Gwen carefully. "For a weird goth girl, you do have good skin. And your bone structure's not bad either."
"And you have a nice face!" Lindsay added. "It's so important to have the two sides match. Symm…symm…"
"Symmetrical," Courtney told her in a superior tone. She looked at Gwen too, her critical gaze making her feel more naked by the second. "Well, you could lose some weight…"
"But I think this could work. Still, some changes are in order." Heather spoke over her. "Lindsay, we need your makeup and cleanser. Courtney, pass me your brush. And we better make a trip to the mall. Gwen, keep your note in case we meet any teachers."
The girls weren't back until everyone was in the halls, just headed towards their last class of the day. Everyone noticed when they returned. As it was, Heather's little group always turned heads. But now, they noticed another girl in a blazer, a miniskirt, knee socks and black heels.
Gwen heard the whispers, saw people staring at her as she walked with the three most popular girls in school, but she smiled, pretending not to care. Usually, she hated getting stared at, but it was a small price to pay for what this clique could give her. She already had more colour in her cheeks than she would have liked with the blush Heather had insisted Lindsay paint her with after they took off her pale foundation (especially when they saw how naturally pale she was), but she just hoped that it covered up her real blush. She had to admit, though, that the look of awe as people saw her did give her a good feeling. She actually liked the attention, more than she'd expected. And even though it was a departure from her usual gothic look, she rather liked the dark blue Lindsay had picked out for her. They couldn't take her to the salon and make her take the blue streaks out, but she still looked pretty cool.
As she walked past Emma, she heard her friend whisper "Gwen?"
Gwen sneaked a look at Heather to make sure she wasn't being watched, and then gave Emma her old sly grin, just to let her know she was the same person.
Then, she walked to her last class, feeling like life was going to get a whole lot better.
What do you think of my picks for the three girls? Heather and Courtney were obvious picks, but I deliberated over using Dakota before I went with Lindsay. She's a bit less intelligent than her counterpart, but the "nice when she's not influenced" trait works with her.